Katie Corrigan Joins ACLU Washington Office As Legislative Counsel for Privacy Issues

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON — Katie Corrigan has joined the American Civil Liberties Union as a Legislative Counsel in its Washington National Office, where she is responsible for maintaining and defending civil liberties in the areas of privacy.

Laura W. Murphy, Director of the ACLU’s Washington National Office, announced the appointment, citing the newly approved anti-terrorism measure as a prime example of the kind of legislative threat to privacy rights of Americans.

“In recent years, the right to personal privacy has been under increasing attack as the number and sophistication of government and private databases have soared,” Murphy said. “And now, in this time of national crisis, we are anticipating an even larger stream of legislative proposals that seek very fundamental shifts in the country’s traditions of personal privacy.”

In addition to legislative proposals regarding the September terrorist attacks, Corrigan will also be responsible for the ACLU’s legislative work in the areas of medical privacy and genetic nondiscrimination legislation.

Corrigan comes to the ACLU from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee where she was the lead staffer on genetic discrimination and disability rights for U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, D-IA. She organized two bipartisan congressional amicus briefs to the Supreme Court supporting the constitutionality of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and defending Casey Martin’s right to use a golf cart on the PGA Tour. In addition, she spearheaded Senator Harkin’s bipartisan initiatives to bridge the digital divide for people with disabilities and to ensure equal access to community based services for people with disabilities.

In the 105th and 106th Congresses, Corrigan was closely involved in the development of proposed legislative protection for individuals’ identifiable health information. She also represented groups in the drafting of a Model State Privacy Law, focusing on the protection of health information held by state public health agencies.

“I am pleased to join an organization that stands on the side of our nation’s collective principles and individual liberties,” said Corrigan. “It is incredible to arrive at this critically important time in American history as the ACLU works to make our country safe and free.”